Despite Illegally building 12 bungalows you can Keep Them!

January 19, 2019

I am sure that many people would love the flexibility of building anywhere and everywhere we wanted on land/property that we own, though we all know that we need to seek permission first and this means working closely with the planning department.

So a recent news story highlighting that illegal new building work took place and the developer has been allowed to keep what they built will raise a few eyebrows and of course tempt others to do likewise!

A developer who was said to have secretly built 12 bungalows without planning permission (they were disguised as gyms) has been allowed to keep them following investigation from Birmingham City Council’s planning committee – Raising a few eyebrows I am sure and of course we ask the question, who knows who at the said planning department so that illegal activities have been rewarded?

The 12 illegally built bungalows, an eye sore for sure, are hidden behind a row of flats in the Hall Green area of Birmingham and had electrics / water all connected ready for residential use – The planning department has since removed the utility connections.

Of course, if the planning department act as they would do if illegal development was against the law, the buildings would be torn down, but it appears that the planning committee withdrew their rejection upon advise that they would find it difficult to defend this in an appeal?

Remedial work is set to be carried out on the illegally built residential property portfolio to include installing roofs, doors and windows.

So lesson of the day, so I see this as being, is to attempt to build what you want on your land, you just may get away with it?

Full story can be read on the Daily Mail website.

Christopher Walkey

Founder of Estate Agent Networking. Internationally invited speaker on how to build online target audiences using Social Media. Writes about UK property prices, housing, politics and affordable homes.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Why capital is staying in London despite a cooling housing market

By Joe Freedman, Head of Origination at ASK Partners London isn’t suffering from a lack of housing demand. It’s suffering from a failure to deliver. New data from Molior underlines the scale of that failure. Just 5,547 private homes broke ground across the capital last year, an 84% drop from a decade ago. Against an…
Read More →
Breaking News

The hidden risk of overvaluing your home when moving in today’s market

With many homeowners turning ambitious conversations into tangible moving plans, the start of the year traditionally marks a surge in activity, particularly for families planning for the future. While the property market remains fundamentally healthy, experts at Beresfords say overvaluing property is one issue that continues to undermine the progress of those looking to sell.…
Read More →
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Rightmove launches next phase of AI-powered property search

Rightmove, the UK’s largest property platform, has launched a beta version of AI-powered conversational property search, as it continues to enhance its property search experience. In close collaboration with Google Cloud and built with Google’s Gemini models, conversational search is available via the property search bar on Rightmove’s website homepage. The latest move further expands…
Read More →
Breaking News

Should you break things off with your mortgage lender this Valentine’s Day?

As Valentine’s Day approaches, the latest research from award-winning mortgage adviser, Alexander Hall, has revealed that more than half of homeowners approaching the end of a fixed-rate mortgage are currently undecided on their relationship with their lender, despite notable improvements across the mortgage market over the last 12 months. The consumer insight, commissioned by Alexander…
Read More →
Breaking News

UK Finance Mortgage arrears and possessions Q4 2025

UK Finance today releases its latest mortgage arrears and possessions data for Q4 2025, while highlighting continuing lender support for any customers facing financial difficulty. Key Information The number of homeowner mortgages in arrears fell by four per cent in Q3 2025 compared to the previous quarter. The number of buy-to-let (BTL) mortgages in arrears…
Read More →
Breaking News

Property compliance experts urge landlords not to ignore major tenancy changes under Renters’ Rights Act

Beresfords property group highlights key actions landlords must take as new tenancy rules, enforcement powers and energy standards approach. UK landlords are being warned not to overlook major changes to tenancy agreements and compliance requirements, as the Government moves closer to implementing the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. Following the publication of draft secondary legislation, the…
Read More →